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President Donald Trump is threatening to sue the New York Times and CNN over reports that contradicted his claim that recent US airstrikes on Iran “obliterated” the country’s nuclear capabilities.
The president’s legal team says both outlets defamed him by reporting on a preliminary intelligence assessment that concluded the strikes had only set back Iran’s nuclear capabilities by a few months, according to a Times article earlier this week.
The report, citing Defense Intelligence Agency assessments, came after Trump said US bunker-busting bombs had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facility in Fordow.
In a letter sent Wednesday to the left-leaning Gray Lady, Trump’s personal attorney, Alejandro Brito, accused the paper of defamation and demanded a retraction and apology.
The letter described the Times story as “false,” “defamatory” and “unpatriotic.” It claimed that the paper had harmed Trump’s reputation.
Brito called the military operation a “historic and resounding military success” that “unequivocally eliminated Iran’s nuclear capabilities and brought peace to the region.”
In response, Times lawyer David McCraw flatly rejected the demand.
“No retraction is needed,” he wrote. “No apology will be forthcoming. We told the truth to the best of our ability. We will continue to do so.”
McCraw added that the article reported exactly what the intelligence assessment stated: “The US intelligence services issued a preliminary assessment concluding that the attacks delayed Iran’s nuclear program only by a few months. This is what we reported.”
A CNN spokesperson confirmed to The Post on Friday that the network had received a similar legal threat and was also standing by its reporting.
The legal threats came after Trump blasted the outlets on social media, calling for journalists at both organizations to be fired.
He also accused them of trying to “demean” US military personnel. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed Trump’s complaints in a televised news conference Thursday, criticizing the media but not disputing the existence of the intelligence report.
The Post has sought comment from the White House and Brito.
A Times spokesperson declined to comment.
While Trump has frequently lashed out at journalists, his latest threats are part of a broader and increasingly aggressive legal strategy targeting major media institutions.
These efforts often revolve around claims of defamation or consumer deception, and they reflect his long-running attempt to cast the press as a political enemy.
Trump has launched or threatened numerous lawsuits against news organizations in recent years. Among the most high-profile is an ongoing $20 billion lawsuit against CBS News and its parent company Paramount Global.
In that case, Trump accused CBS of deceptively editing a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris to portray him in a negative light. Trump’s legal team claims the segment misled viewers in violation of Texas consumer protection laws.
CBS has denied wrongdoing and is seeking to have the case dismissed under First Amendment protections, but settlement talks are reportedly underway.
A mediator has proposed a $20 million resolution, though Trump has not accepted the deal, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Last December, Disney-owned ABC News settled a defamation lawsuit brought by Trump after anchor George Stephanopoulos stated that Trump had been found liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll.
In reality, Trump was found liable for sexual abuse, not rape. ABC agreed to pay $15 million to Trump’s future presidential foundation and $1 million in legal fees. The network also issued an apology.
Brito represented Trump in that case as well as a 2022 lawsuit against CNN, which alleged the network compared him to Adolf Hitler. That suit was dismissed by a federal judge in 2023 and is currently on appeal.
Trump also has sued The Des Moines Register and pollster J. Ann Selzer, alleging a 2024 Iowa poll showing Harris leading him had been manipulated. That case was dismissed for lack of standing and evidence.
While traditional defamation claims are difficult to win due to robust First Amendment protections, Trump’s legal team has increasingly leaned on consumer protection statutes, framing misleading media content as a form of public deception.
Critics argue the approach is designed to chill press freedom and tie up news outlets in expensive litigation.
English (US)